BELASARIA's SparkPeople Bloghttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal.asp?id=BELASARIA
BELASARIA's Blog on SparkPeople, home of free diet plans and a healthy living communitySparkPeople.comhttp://assets2.sparkpeople.com/assets/nav/logo_spark.gifhttp://www.sparkpeople.com/
Good bye, Little Black Doghttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5727390
<img src="http://photos-ak.sparkpeople.com/nw/1/6/l1653644438.jpg"> <BR>
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Okay, so she was 55 pounds of "little" but still my Little Black Dog. <BR>
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In May 2000, I stopped by Animal Ark on my way home from working downtown. It had been on impulse; we already had a loveable golden retriever (Tasha) who was 6 months old. However, we knew from her interacting with other dogs, our Tasha would benefit from a companion dog. <BR>
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So I stopped by Animal Ark on a whim. There were sev...Fri, 27 Jun 2014 21:59:52 ESTSo it's been a whilehttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5672394
Stress. Stress. Travel. Stress. Stress. Travel. <BR>
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Oh, Kira Dog is far more sick than we thought. We knew it was bad, but the splenic tumor has swollen her belly to the point where she lost her appetite for dog food. She's 14 years old. Our vet said, "Make her happy." So that's what we're doing. <BR>
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The pup gets poached chicken, plain cooked rice, and grated carrots for her meals. <BR>
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You know, sh...Mon, 14 Apr 2014 22:33:44 ESTFalling off, getting back onhttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5516360
So it's been over a year since I last updated. At the time, I had lost 20 pounds. I gained 12 back. I don't know what happened, besides stress and a loss of focus. Oh, and how easy it was to slip back into my old habits. <BR>
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The stupidest excuse was that my iPhone Spark app got messed up, deleted. I refused to pay the $5 (since I believe when I originally downloaded it, it was free) to get it back on my phone. I still have it on my iPad... but an excuse is an excuse. <BR>
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Speakin...Thu, 17 Oct 2013 19:50:48 ESTAccepting that complimenthttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5068412
I haven't advertised that I'm changing my lifestyle to a healthy one. One of the reasons is that my department consists of three guys and me. It's not like I'm going to talk about it. As for the rest of my coworkers, I don't really chat with them. With the travel required plus my own securities, I am quiet in what I do. <BR>
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However ... <BR>
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A coworker whom I have a great rapport with but travels extensively was in the office the other day. <BR>
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He looks right at me and say...Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:58:49 ESTOh, you've totally done this... (or maybe not...)http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5044751
The lunch of awesomeness (okay, the one within my self-prescribed limits for the day) remains in the fridge. I was going to eat it, promise, but then I began assembling it. <BR>
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Roast chicken. My allotted, my mustard aoili. My high fiber wrap with a whole tomato and a white peach for dessert. <BR>
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I took one bite and ... oh. I SO could not eat this. <BR>
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I know we all have days like this, when our carefully packed whatever turns into a thing of scorn. <BR>
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If not, I e...Tue, 4 Sep 2012 22:33:16 ESTTaking care of the feet...http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5036542
Well. My plan today was to do 1.6 miles with Candice Dog. It didn't happen. Partway through the first quarter of the walk, when we have our 12 year old pup Kira with us, the arches in my feet began to cramp up. I don't know if anyone else has had the distinct pleasure of this phenomenon, but when it hits me .... <em>46</em> <BR>
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Yeah. So the walk was cut down to 0.6 miles but I did walk. <BR>
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Now, I have custom inserts for my shoes and I did used to visit a podiatrist on a regul...Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:19:51 ESTMy scale must be broken ...http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5032889
Nah. It isn't. It's just stuck. <BR>
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No wait. That's me. <BR>
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For the past three weeks, I've hit the same weight. "A plateau so early?" I thought to myself as I seriously debated skipping logging my weight today in favor of (hopefully) a more favorable weigh-in tomorrow. Heck, I even broke out the tape measure to see if my weight has just 'adjusted' somewhere else. Nope. <BR>
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Yes, I pouted as I logged my weight, because this week, I made the effort to get back on track. I o...Mon, 27 Aug 2012 09:49:07 ESTMy vote is "Zombies ate my brain" or "Calorie-loving ETs"http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5020088
It just happened. <BR>
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I didn't pack my lunch, the second time this week. Given that I've been taking my lunch consistently for the past four weeks, it wasn't (supposed to be) that disastrous. <BR>
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Usually, I eat my lunch around 1 PM, especially when I was dining out daily. The crowds are less. <BR>
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But today ... my (precious) Greek yogurt was ... ew. I don't know how to describe it except it was bad. I didn't realize it was 6 days past expiration until I got to work (I eat...Fri, 17 Aug 2012 22:55:09 ESTIt stopped raining in my kitchen but the #DinnerFailhttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5014170
Good News: It was just the toilet tank that overflowed. No busted pipes (knock on wood). Yeah, we have a massive water stain on the kitchen ceiling but I'd rather that than a huge hole to repair pipes. No plumber required. <BR>
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Whew. So, of course, with the good comes the not-so-good. <BR>
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Getting back on track meant tackling my fave roasted chicken and promising myself not to eat the crispy, oven-baked skin. I roasted the chicken with rosemary, Meyer lemon, celery and onions (bot...Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:35:01 ESTIt's raining in my kitchen ... and other fun newshttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5013397
Fact: My SO has been out of work. His unemployment ran out two months ago. <BR>
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Fact: We are down to our last cash reserves. After September, we're out of $ so bills aren't going to be paid on time unless he gets a job. Even then, it will be four weeks until we get a cash flow. <BR>
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Fact: The vending machine at work is too much a temptation. Not carrying cash/change is not an option for me since its the best way I have of controlling my expenses. <BR>
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Fact: There's overeat...Mon, 13 Aug 2012 11:13:27 ESTYet another rough week ...http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5001799
But I tracked! <BR>
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The good news is that I've lost 12 pounds total (although I have a feeling that I'll gain this week do to really bad choices). It moved my total calories down, which admittedly freaked me out a bit. However, that was this past Monday and when I saw the new range, I thought to myself: Hey, just more veggies! <BR>
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I know how to do this. I've lost 40 pounds before (gained it all back plus 30) so I know how to do it. <BR>
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Working out is continuing to be the ...Sun, 5 Aug 2012 11:00:11 ESTCounting up the stressors ...http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4987020
So my SO has been out of work on and off for 4 years. Unemployment ran out. He's depressed. He's finishing up trade school in hopes of finding a new career path, but he doesn't feel that he's been successful at all with his chosen craft. He graduates school this week, which means the student loan he took out will now come due. Sure, there are deferments. I did the student loan thing 20 years ago when I was in school, so I kinda know stuff but again, that was 20 years ago. Let's call those Str...Wed, 25 Jul 2012 22:06:23 ESTAnd then my body says, "So! You want to go back to you old habits? I've got something to say about http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4976641
Let's face it. My Monday and Tuesday were disastrous. I can't explain why, since I'm happily home, my mom and dad are doing well, and my sister and her family are back safely from vacation. Work is going okay. My SO is still out of a job and has no prospects on the horizon but that hasn't changed (sadly) in the past six months. <BR>
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Monday breakfast and lunch were great. Until the Swedish Fish. Then for dinner, I reverted back to my old standby of carbs and protein, no veggies. <BR>
<B...Wed, 18 Jul 2012 19:16:52 ESTThere's losing your balance, stumbling & tripping... & then there's Fallinghttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4973666
Wow. What a mess. <BR>
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I knew my weigh in was going to be disappointing, that I wasn't going to lose all those 6 pounds that I had gained back. However, I knew the weight gain coincided with my "whenever my body decides to have it" cycle and my love affair with bread. <BR>
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I shaved off two pounds, which was excellent. Disappointing, yes. Excellent, yes. Because it wasn't another gain and, let's be honest, given the fact that my stress levels were high and I wasn't preparing many ...Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:42:00 ESTParents, Painting Houses, Pizza and Urgent Carehttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4967958
Day 6 of "With the Parents." <BR>
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My dad decided this week to sell the rental property that has been giving him so much trouble. It's not so much the property itself, but who rents it. The last couple who were in there basically scammed my parents, taking advantage of my dad (a nice guy anyway) when my mom was dealing with the brain tumor. How scammed? Well, the previously landlord AND other two references outright lied to my dad, telling him how this couple was great, always paid on ti...Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:15:00 ESTResisting the urge to snack with Mom & Dadhttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4966437
Part of the deal with me being in town for a week was cooking. I was very excited about this, because I enjoy cooking. (My SO is in class 4 nights/week so I'm usually cooking just for myself.) Also, I knew that this was a great way for me to keep on track since *I* controlled the portions and the preparations. <BR>
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It hasn't quite gone the way I wanted but today? Well, today was the first day I had control over all my meals. Breakfast isn't an issue, but lunch and dinner usually are. My...Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:42:59 ESTMaking Friends with My Parents' Doghttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4963558
My parents' dog Murphy is a yellow lab-chow mix. The chow in him makes him very protective of them and wary of allowing strangers around. Which is good ... to a point. <BR>
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Now my two pups, Candice (my avatar) and Kira (the black dog), are pretty friendly. Okay, Candice would let a burglar in and show him where we keep the silver while Kira would probably just bark. Still, they are up to meeting new people, especially Candice. Now, Candice is only 4 years old but acts like a pup. <BR>
...Tue, 10 Jul 2012 09:28:38 ESTFrustrating Weigh Inhttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4961960
I almost used "devastating" instead of "frustrating" when I titled this entry, but then really thought about the word "devastating." <BR>
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Given what I'm dealing with family-wise (Mom still in hospital, SO still out of work ...), it wasn't the appropriate word. <BR>
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Frustrating. Yes. Why? Because I gained 6 pounds from last week to this week. Yes, I'm upset. I brought my scale from home so I would have consistency in weigh ins. <BR>
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As I blogged in earlier entries, I've been...Mon, 9 Jul 2012 10:42:38 ESTFaith in my eating out decisions restoredhttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4959212
Yesterday, I whined about my 1,100 calorie roasted chicken fiasco. I was understandably mad because 1,100 for *roasted chicken*????? And it's not like I deliberately said, "I don't care what I'm putting in my mouth." oh no. I had tried... <BR>
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I was finally able to get online and do a bit more research. The "dinner" listed on SP was apparently for the chicken and all the trimmings. Turns out the chicken was more like 300 calories. <BR>
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Whew. <BR>
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Yes, I still went over for...Sat, 7 Jul 2012 11:58:30 ESTShould have had the steak ...http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4958690
So I'm in Louisville with my parents, sister and sister's family. My mom is still in the hospital and my sister and her crew are leaving for the Caribbean tomorrow for a week. My mom sends us home for the evening, so we end up at Texas Roadhouse, a restaurant I don't recall I've ever been to. <BR>
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My sister has 5 kids, so really it's finding a place where all five will eat with minimal fuss. <BR>
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My determination to stay on track faltered yet again. I had a dinner roll. I had two...Fri, 6 Jul 2012 23:40:14 ESTTriumph over one thing, complete failure over something elsehttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4957766
So yesterday, I went on about my triumph over that bag of donuts. I was massively stressed, the bag of donuts was there, and I resisted. <BR>
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But by the time dinner rolled around ... <em>15</em> <BR>
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Because my trip to my parents was moved up three days, my plans for the weekend obviously got changed. SO was very unhappy about it; we'd been looking forward to our Saturday PM outing for quite a few weeks. So we fought about it because he was being childishly selfish (which he late...Fri, 6 Jul 2012 10:15:07 ESTFighting instinct and habit ... while dealing with parental health issueshttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4956553
There is a bag of chocolate covered donuts in the house that my SO bought because he was craving it. He's diabetic and takes Metformin to control his blood sugar. Still, bag o'donuts is a bad thing. So far, I've ignored them because, well, if I'm going to do myself in on calories, sugar and fat, I'm going to "do it right." Not crappy Hostess donuts that taste artificial and the chocolate has a waxy mouth-feel, but the chocolate-covered cream filled ones from the Mom and Pop shop down the stre...Thu, 5 Jul 2012 13:36:33 ESTThe vitamin challenge. AM or PM?http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4945515
I'm not a pill taker. <BR>
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Heck, I go out of my way NOT to take pills, even if I have a splitting headache. So the vitamin thing has always been a challenge for me. <BR>
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On this new journey, I'm now able to see the impact that a vitamin regimen has. Sure, I've done the supplement thing before. Atkins had me choking down a palm-full of supplements every morning. And every morning, I felt queasy and had a headache. <BR>
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Now, I find myself adjusting my supplements according to...Wed, 27 Jun 2012 23:27:54 ESTWhat counts as exercise?http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4940670
Back in my WW days, there was always a big discussion on what counted as exercise, specifically day-to-day activities. Laundry? Vacuuming? Cleaning the bathroom? Grocery shopping? <BR>
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There was a group that scoffed at the idea of counting such mundane things. How could it be exercise? Are you that desperate for exercise points that you count these tasks? The other group defended the practice. Thirty-minutes of folding laundry had to be worth something as giving a bathroom a thorough cl...Sun, 24 Jun 2012 20:49:22 ESTVitamin Failhttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4937004
First of all, I was on WW "Classic" Points (or whatever it was called prior to Points Plus) four years ago and I lost forty pounds. I gained it all back plus 30 because I went off the plan due to various reasons, although I'll claim finances as being the biggest one. WW does work for a lot of people. It's a good program although I can't vouch for the new Points Plus (if I enrolled now and saw that fruit was free, I'd be cramming down fruit like crazy). <BR>
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What I learned on WW was bet...Thu, 21 Jun 2012 23:45:05 ESTBreaking the dependency on "easy" mealshttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4933785
I'm the first to admit that 'easy' meals (frozen dinners, take out, restaurant meal, etc.) are my first line of defense when I have the "don't want to cook" mood or "it's too late to make dinner" mindset. <BR>
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I travel for my job. Restaurant meals are part of it. <BR>
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My SO has classes in the evening, so it's just me and two dogs after a 9+ hour day. <BR>
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What to do? <BR>
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When I developed an intolerance to bell pepper, my dependency on frozen meals changed radically. ...Tue, 19 Jun 2012 21:04:26 ESTOh fiber, where are thou?http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4932339
In my first week of SP, I discovered that Jimmy John's veggie sub with no cucumber isn't a low-cal choice. Oh, I knew on some level that it probably wasn't good. It has mayo and I love mayo. Mayo. Cheese. 8' bread. Um. It's healthy *how*? But now I know and ... "knowing is half the battle" (cue 80's GI Joe theme). <BR>
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Still, I tracked. I ran the reports. And wow. <BR>
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Fiber. <BR>
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Talk about missing the mark. If I hit 15 grams in one day, it was a high day. Usually, it was...Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:45:12 ESTThe Silent Journey... again.http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4930134
Each person has their own way of achieving their lifestyle changes goal. Some have a great support group who encourage them every step of the way. Then, there may be people like me, who like to keep a very low profile. <BR>
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Oh, I didn't use to be like that. When I did Atkins in 1998, there was a whole group of us doing it. We shared recipes and stories, tips and tricks. It was a great little community where we shared our woes--what do you mean, I only lost 1 pound this week? Why am I n...Sun, 17 Jun 2012 13:21:54 ESTThe quest to go Sugar Subtitute & Diet Soft Drink Freehttp://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4928845
I am a diet-soft drink addict. I may have one cup of coffee once a month, maybe. Hot tea? Only if it's cold outside. For the longest time, my dogs drank more water per day than I did. I loves me some Coke Zero. Love. It. So does my SO to the point where we bought four 12-packs per week and when it was hot outside, we had to buy more... <BR>
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We called it Crack. <BR>
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My daily routine was Coke Zero for breakfast. Diet Mt. Dew at 9 AM because our vending machine doesn't have Coke Zer...Sat, 16 Jun 2012 11:00:27 EST"Is that what your having lunch?"http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=4927819
It's a long and boring story on why I don't bring my lunch to work when it would be cheaper and a heck of a lot more nutritious if I did. I'll sum it up quickly. <BR>
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The lunchroom at work had an ant infestation. It only lasted for two days, but it left such a mark on me, I wasn't able to put my dailies in the fridge. This was over 15 years ago, but I remember it vividly and it made me wary of all work kitchens. <BR>
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Then, twelve years ago, I was subjected to the daily "Is that wh...Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:37:24 EST